Source: Jeff Schear / Getty
The world does not move without Black creativity and Lupe Fiasco is about detail how Hip-Hop plays into that fact. He has been slotted to teach a Rap course at MIT.
As per Complex the Chicago, Illinois native is taking his talents to one of the most prestigious and exclusive educational institutions in the world. On Friday, May 20 he announced that he will be teaching at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I been holding this for a while. I’ll put together something more sophisticated later that really captures the nuance and gravity but for now I’ll just say it straight and raw: I’m going to teach Rap at @MIT” he tweeted.
I been holding this for a while. I’ll put together something more sophisticated later that really captures the nuance and gravity but for now I’ll just say it straight and raw:
I’m going to teach Rap at @MIT
— “DRILL MUSIC IN ZION” JUNE 24th (@LupeFiasco) May 20, 2022
The school’s press release detailed the residency in further detail. “Grammy award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco and Professor of Digital Media Nick Montfort come together to engage the MIT community at the intersection of rap, computing, and activism” it read. “Fiasco’s work as a rapper and producer is informed by his interests in cognitive science, linguistics, semiotics, and computing. During his CAST residency, he shares insights from his work as an entrepreneur and community advocate, for instance working with the Society of Spoken Art (SOSA), an educational guild for aspiring and established rappers, of which he is a co-founder.”
MIT's MLK Visiting Professor Program has announced their 2022-23 appointments! Three have expertise in the arts & humanities: associate professor of theater Eunice Ferreira, Grammy-award winning rapper @LupeFiasco, & documentary filmmaker Louis Massiah. Congrats all!
pic.twitter.com/vN2nuZwXHl
— Arts at MIT (@ArtsatMIT) May 20, 2022
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor Program was established in 1991 to enhance and recognize the contributions of outstanding scholars. The program honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by increasing the presence of minority scholars at MIT. Visiting Professors and Scholars enhance their scholarship through intellectual interactions with MIT peers and enrich the intellectual life of the Institute with their participation in MIT research and academic programs.
Lupe previously taught the “Code Cypher” back in 2021; the course was billed with the intent to “develop computational artworks that play with language and rhythm”. You can find more information about the appointment here.